Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the empirical research on cultural intelligence, with a special focus on discussing key practical benefits to individuals, teams and organizations. The importance of cultural intelligence training is also highlighted.

Abstract: The study aims to analyze the financial behavior of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period 2005-2015. The study examines the relationship between funding sources and the Return on Equity (ROE) in order to reach conclusions and to make recommendations to enhance the performance of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry companies. The Generalized Least Square (GLS) test and Hausman test are used to estimate the fixed effects and random effects model. The random effects model proved to be more suitable for testing the impact of the financial behavior on the profitability of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry as measured by ROE. The study results showed that the financing through equity has a positive and significance effect on the ROE, which explains the fact that the Jordanian pharmaceutical companies mainly depend on equity financing by 67%. The study recommended that the Jordanian pharmaceutical companies should make an effort to finance its capital increase, assets increase and expansion by financing through equity sources.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to compare the information effect of Stock Lending and Borrowing (SLB) and short selling between the Korea Stock Exchange (KRX) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). While most previous studies analyzed the information effect with a focus on short selling, this study links short selling to SLB and examines how SLB and short selling affect stock prices. Using the data of 40 stocks with the most active records of SLB and short selling from each exchange, we perform a regression analysis to examine the information effect. We find that in the KRX, SLB has a positive effect on short selling and short selling has a negative effect on stock prices. However, in the NYSE, short selling has a significant positive effect on stock prices. This is due to the differences in policies concerning public posting of short selling data. We also find that the effect of volatility on stock prices and the effect of short selling on volatility are all significantly negative in both exchanges. That is, short selling reduces market volatility and thus keeps the market from overheating. Furthermore, the effects are greater during the periods when SLB and short selling are more concentrated.

Abstract: Congress placed a statutory duty on the employer and employee to be safe in the workplace, but the courts do not reciprocate this duty onto employees. With plant managers understandably unaware of their rights,2 and with governmental tactics to obtain consent for administrative ease,3 a company’s threat to litigation may derive from its ignorance of the law. This paper aims to educate employers of their rights and counter-arguments to Secretary of Labor (“Secretary”) litigation as they seek independent legal counsel. An employer can deny entry of an Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) inspector lacking a warrant unless the business is in a pervasively regulated industry. The employer may ask for a copy of the warrant and the basis for the warrant and the OSHA inspector must articulate the scope and purpose of the search. An employer may request counsel to accompany the OSHA inspector during the investigation. Upon completion of the inspection, the Secretary or OSHA must issue a citation within six-months. In other words, the date of discovering a violation or when the alleged violation occurred starts the six-month statute of the limitations for a valid citation to be issued. The employer must appeal by notifying the Secretary within 15 business days after receipt of the citation. The Secretary of Labor always bears the initial burden of proving every element of an Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) violation that resulted from the employer’s alleged failed compliance. An employer may raise the Multi-Employer Doctrine to argue it was an employee from another employer that created and controlled the hazard inducing incident. The employer must prove: “(1) it did not create the violative condition to which its employees were exposed; (2) it did not control the violative condition, so that it could not itself have performed the action necessary to abate the condition as required by the standard; and (3) it took all reasonable alternative measures to protect its employees from the violative condition.” 4 An employer may argue that the OSH Act compliance is infeasible by demonstrating: “(1) that compliance with a particular standard either is impossible or will render performance of the work impossible; and (2) that the employer undertook alternative steps to protect its workers or that no such steps were available.” 5 To rebut the presumption that the employer bears full responsibility for workplace safety, an employee’s isolated and unforeseen misconduct may be held against the employee using the Unpreventable Employee Misconduct Defense. The employer shall need to prove: “(1) it established work rules or policies designed to prevent the violation;(2) it has adequately communicated these rules to its employees; (3) it has taken steps to discover violations of the work rules; and (4) it has effectively enforced these work rules when violations have been discovered.”6 An employer can seek a variance proceeding that allows OSHA to preapprove the alternative safety measure before being issued a citation. However, if the alternative private-sector created safety measure appears unable to provide equivalent safety protection as the OSHA standard, then the employer risks receiving a citation after OSHA makes a final determination. The employer relinquishes the option of arguing the Greater Hazard Defense upon requesting a variance proceeding. The Greater Hazard Defense requires the employer to prove: (1) compliance with OSHA standards or guidance would result in a greater hazard to employees, which the standard was designed to prevent, than would noncompliance; (2) the employer took reasonable alternative protective measures, or there are no alternative means of employee protection; and (3) a variance was unavailable or applying for a variance would have been inappropriate.7 The employer may seek a variance or risk losing the Greater Hazard Defense. An unjustified failure to seek a variance proceeding shall preclude the Greater Hazard Defense; thus, there is no defense when the employer failed to ask for one when appropriate. If an employer can show it could not seek a variance proceeding due to a statue or procedure, then the defense may be raised. An employer should do everything it can to reduce its employees’ exposure to reasonably foreseeable hazards to reduce the gravity of the citation charges, even if the OSHA standard is economically or technically infeasible.

Abstract: The study was conducted to assess the export potential of aromatic rice in Bangladesh as well as identify the factors affecting gross return from aromatic rice production. About 45 aromatic rice farms were selected from five villages of Dinajpur district using stratified sampling method for the study. Data were analyzed with a combination of descriptive statistics, mathematical and statistical techniques. Cobb-Douglas production function represented that three out of seven independent variables had significant impact on gross return from aromatic rice production. The significant variables were education, power tiller cost and fertilizer cost. Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) analysis showed that Bangladesh had comparative advantage in aromatic rice production both from the view point of export and import substitution, as DRC was 0.51 and 0.64 for import and export parity prices, respectively. The study suggests that price of fertilizer, seeds and other inputs should be maintained and marketing and trade related costs and barriers should be minimized to amplify the potential of aromatic rice production in Bangladesh.

Abstract: The single most factors affecting the livelihood of haor people of Bangladesh is fishing. Data and information regarding this issue are lacking in Bangladesh, therefore, the study was conducted to assess the extent and determinants of livelihood step up of fishermen in haor area of Sunamganj district, Bangladesh. The present investigation showed that, the majority of the fishermen (60.0%) had small land ownership. Most of them were illiterate (56.3%) and belonged to (53.75%) middle income ($621.0-$915.0) and 6.25% had a small income ranging $305.0-$610. Among the fishermen, 45.0% were received credit from Mahajan and only 12.5% of fishermen had savings. Different livelihood assets were increased to a large extent due to small-scale fishing. Financial, human, social and physical capitals were increased from 32.0% to 76.67%, 45.0% to 75.33%, 42.0% to 62.5% and 30.0% to 73.37%, respectively due to engage in fishing. The logistic regression model revealed four significant variables i.e., family type, farm size, boat ownership and credit access were responsible for the livelihood improvement of haor fishermen. Furthermore, this study also found out constraints which were faced by the fishermen. Among all the constraints, the flash flood was reported to as a major problem by the fishermen.

Abstract: The study aims to examine whether the intensity of financial openness, trade openness and foreign direct investment promoted financial development in Turkey for the period 1974–2014. Three financial development indicators are used constructing the data from the World Development Indicators. Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) and the bounds tests are employed to show the long run relationship among variables. The empirical results suggest that financial openness and foreign direct investment have a predictive power in fostering financial development. More, trade openness does not have predictive power on financial development. It can be concluded that financial openness and foreign direct investment can be used to foster financial development as well as economic growth in the case of Turkey. These results has very important inferences on the Turkey’s Custom Union agreement with the European Union.

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of capital account liberalization on the external debt. The study is made for a panel of eight countries of South Mediterranean Countries (SMCs) over the period 1971 to 2015. We use different models to explain the growth of external debt. We find that capital account liberalization is negatively correlated with external debt. We also find that the macroeconomic instability has an important role in the rise of external debt.

Abstract: We prove that the standard discrete-time accelerator equation cannot be considered as an exact discrete analog of the continuous-time accelerator equation. This leads to fact that the standard discrete-time macroeconomic models cannot be considered as exact discretization of the corresponding continuous-time models. As a result, the equations of the continuous and standard discrete models have different solutions and can predict the different behavior of the economy. In this study, we propose a self-consistent discrete-time description of the economic accelerators that is based on the exact finite differences. For discrete-time approach, the model equations with exact differences have the same solutions as the corresponding continuous-time models and these discrete and continuous models describe the same behavior of the economy. Using the Harrod-Domar growth model as an example, we show that equations of the continuous-time model and the suggested exact discrete model have the same solutions and these models predict the same behavior of the economy.

Abstract: This research tries to sketch the concrete steps that help carry out to use ARIMA time series models for forecasting Bangladesh’s inflation. The focus, in this paper, is short-term basis annual inflation forecasting. For this purpose, different ARIMA models are used and the candid model is proposed. Based on the diagnostic and evaluation criteria, the most accurate model is selected. The order of the best ARIMA model was found to be ARIMA (1, 0, 0) to forecast the future inflation for a period up to five years. The predicted inflation rate is 4.40 in 2016 and in the consecutive years, it will rise slightly. The findings of the paper will give us a short-term view of inflation in Bangladesh and support in implementing policies to maintain stable inflation.

Abstract: This study focuses on the distinctive incident in which Stock Lending and Borrowing (SLB) transaction and short selling grew continuously even during the wavering period of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) in the Korea Exchange (KRX) market. The authors analyze the information contents of SLB and short selling on KOSPI financial stocks. The financial stocks were freed from short selling ban on November 14, 2013, after being banned for more than five years following the global financial crisis in 2008. Employing the event study methodology, the authors also analyze the differences between stock market returns before and after the short selling ban. The results of this study show that the concentrated group including high levels of SLB and short selling were characterized by the higher Abnormal Return (AR) with negative effect than the comparative group after the occurrence of short sales. The results also discover that SLB and short selling transactions provide the market with significant information contents. The information effect of SLB and short selling is consistent over time, but is stronger when the transactions are more concentrated. Finally, the results reveal that the short selling has the most considerable influence on the stock market.

Abstract: On August 11, 2000, the Bank of Japan made one of the most controversial decisions in the history of monetary policy when it ended its zero-interest-rate policy and increased the overnight rate to 0.25%. This paper aims to examine whether or not this decision to terminate the zero-interest-rate policy was premature. In this study, I argue that this decision by the Bank of Japan to tighten monetary policy in 2000 was unreasonable as there still remained a great deal of slack in the economy and inflation was not far from its target. On reading the minutes of the Monetary Policy Meeting of August 11, 2000, I observe that some arguments for tightening monetary policy seem to confuse rates of change and levels.

Abstract: The major goal of this study was to explore student perceptions of service-learning and its effect on development of their leadership skills and spirituality. This manuscript begins by describing the theoretical foundations that inform the literature on the correlation between service-learning and leadership, spirituality and motivation. The researchers then put forth their quantitative data, presented using two data sets, drawing three clear links in the constructs of spirituality, motivation and leadership-all of which support previous findings. The findings further suggest that for this sample of students, a spiritual understanding of their role in service-learning was moderately correlated with both motivation and leadership.

Abstract: Notions of entrepreneurship culture in the development of society are vital. Today, with the speed of globalization and rapidly changing market conditions, companies can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and be able to maintain productivity, which has increased the importance of domestic entrepreneurial activity in a company. The purpose of this study is to explain the concepts of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in a theoretical framework and to analyze their effects of entrepreneurial intents and activities on an organization and employees. A survey is conducted in the services sector as research, analyzed data collected from a total of 229 staff, including first-stage managers. In the framework of the research, correlation test and regression test were applied to investigate whether organizations' internal entrepreneurial activities have an effect on employee performance. According to the results, only new job opportunities for employers have a positive impact on employee commitment.

Abstract: Monetary policy assessment in Ghana has been conducted using vector auto-regression. This however, presumes stability of long run outcomes and particularly ignores monetary policy regime changes that has characterized the economy overtime. This study thus introduced the possibility of switches in the long run equilibrium in co-integrated vector auto-regression by allowing both the covariance and weighting matrix in the error-correction term to switch. The study did not find any significant difference in monetary response in the different states. However, significant difference was obtained for the cost of disinflation across states. Though, disinflation cost has declined as the Bank of Ghana shifts from monetary targeting to inflation-targeting regime, overall cost is still high. This has implication on disinflation policy given the development agenda pursue by the country.

Abstract: This study aims at estimating the influence of international grain prices on the domestic grain prices in 24 developing countries using a nonlinear model, Markov-Switching Autoregressive model. The results indicate that international grain prices have a positive influence on domestic grain prices before and during/after the grain price-hikes, while the degree of influence may vary depending upon grains and countries. Overall, the influences of the international grain prices on domestic grain prices during/after the price-hikes are less than before in those countries where rice or maize are staple food such as for rice in Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Tunisia and for maize in Chad, Guatemala and Nicaragua; however, the influences are generally larger than before the price-hikes for those countries where wheat is staple food such as Armenia, Georgia, Mauritania and Pakistan. For the effects of domestic prices in previous periods, they had a positive influence on current domestic grain prices in most of the countries in this study.

Abstract: Nowadays, business markets are characterized by high competition and therefore, reinforcing brand success is one of the challenging tasks for organizations. One of the key indicators of brand success appears in an organization’s ability to form strong brand equity. Previous literature reported that consumers form decisions based on their perceptions of added values and unique offerings of a brand. Among the key factors that ensure value embeddedness and attractive offering is product innovation. However, despite the importance of product innovation in driving brand success and competitiveness, but there are very limited researches that investigated its link with brand equity. Therefore, this paper is designed to test the association between product innovation and brand equity in Malaysian automotive industry. The data were gathered using a survey method from a sample of 287 passenger car users in northern Malaysia. The outcomes of this study showed that product innovation had significant positive relationship with brand equity. The findings also confirmed that product innovation has significant positive relationship with all elements of brand equity; namely brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand image and brand leadership. These findings open avenues for future studies to further examine the role of product innovation in driving brand equity and competitiveness with regard to different brands.

Abstract: This article aims to evaluate the contribution of transport infrastructures to improve the attractiveness of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the countries of the MEDA-10 region. The present article is formed by two sections. In the first one, we have a theoretical study of the FDI attractiveness and an explanation of the transport role among the territorial attractiveness factors. In the second section, we represent the empirical study. The obtained results, by using an econometric model with panel data, showed that the traditional determinants of FDI (GDP, economic openness level, inflation, exchange rate ...) have the most significant influence on the international investors’ decision. Also, transportation has a significant influence and it is considered as a new important factor of FDI attractiveness with strategic issues that cannot be avoided.

Abstract: The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) has been proposed as a near-panacea for the strategic management ills that may beset an organization. However, the strategic implications of internal and external performance measurement have not been demonstrated as reliable either for a sample within one industry or across industries. This study proposes a new model that translates the BSC from a three-part internal and one-part external performance measurement system into a comprehensive measurement system that includes stakeholders’ a priori expectations and that merges those expectations with performance measurement systems that will enable organizations to satisfy the often exclusive expectations of all stakeholders.

Abstract: This review article analyzes and explains the formal requirements for a withholding certificate (or any acceptable substitute) to be valid under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). It is an addition to the already published article “Withholding Certificates and Self-Certifications under FATCA”.

Abstract: This study aims to test the possibility of switching toelectronic management in Albaha educational projects management. Investigationtrial uses descriptive analytical method with a survey. The sample was (74) questionnairesof participants. Individuals of the sample agree with the importance ofapplying electronic management. With automation management reports will beavailable immediately; transactions between administrative levels ofconsultants and contractors will be easier, cutting effort and time andincrease accuracy. The study’s results also show the urgent need for providingto apply the electronic management and present the obstacles that may happen.This study found a significant difference between educational projectmanagement and the possibility of transforming to electronic management. Thisstudy recommended launching a strategic plan for educational projectsmanagement are in Albaha, this can be achieved by backing of higher leadershipin ministry of education; providing financial needs; providing Internetservices to all sites of projects implementation; preparing training courses;workshops and meetings to spread the culture of electronic management amongemployees and raise their awareness about electronic management.

Abstract: In the context of financial liberalization, increased competition has spurred financial institutions to develop new products and new activities in order to meet demand, market development and increased competitiveness. This has made the relationship between market structure and financial stability more complicated and its study through the channel of diversification remains an unexplored area. The purpose of this paper is to test the interaction between market power, diversification and financial (in) stability. To this end, we examine a sample of 18 countries in the MENA region and 157 commercial banks during the period 2000-2013. Supporting the "competition-instability" hypothesis, our results revealed that low market power banks in the MENA region are less robust and more unstable when they less or poorly diversify their activities. Moreover, financial instability in this sector may result from a fierce competition among banks born from the desire to distinguish themselves by offering various nontraditional products, for which banks lack the experience to control its risks.

Abstract: The present study investigated and analysed the impact of family size on monthly savings and consumption expenditure of the industrial workers. The results showed that with increasing household size, savings not only dwindled in absolute terms but also in relative terms as witnessed by decreasing saving to income ratios. Conversely, the consumption to income ratios witnessed an increasing pattern, which is indicative of income being diverted away from savings with every addition to the family size. The MANOVA post hoc analyses revealed that the mean monthly savings of each of the higher family size group (more than 3 members) were observed to be significantly lower than the smallest family group (3 members), which is symptomatic of low propensity towards saving in context of the workers with higher family size. Though, the mean monthly consumption expenditure of family size of 4, 5 and 6 members was observed to be significantly higher than that of the largest family group (7 members), however its consumption income ratio was observed to be greater than that of all the lower family size groups. This is logically plausible as the workers having the largest family size were observed to have the lowest mean monthly income, thereby implying the presence of large number of economically inactive members in this group, which resulted in diversion of a large part of their income towards their consumption expenses. The results of the ANOVA regression analysis confirmed that family size has a significant positive impact on the consumption expenditure of the industrial workers. Further, the reduction of savings due to increased burden of the additional family member corroborated the proposed negative effect of family size on savings of the workers.

Abstract: The world economy is in the midst of the next stage of its evolution, one that operates robustly in the framework of an information age. The idea of a “knowledge or information society” has become a benchmark of economic policies and business practices in both developed and developing nations. Many nations have firmly set their sights on transitioning to knowledge economies, as reflected in the vast investments in information technologies and related economic aspects across countries. This article proposes a model for the development of a financial innovation that would vigorously promote such a transition: A Knowledge Bourse.

Abstract: In today’s competitive environment, the development and retention of human capital has become a serious concern for organizations. This study aims to study the antecedents of employees’ turnover intentions in private educational institutions. A closed ended questionnaire was distributed among 200 employees of different educational institutions. One hundred and seventy eight of them responded with total response rate of 79%. Regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses set forth. The findings of the study revealed that turnover intentions are influenced by job stress and work environment whereas work overload has not been found as a significant predictor of turnover intentions.